GB Overprints Society

New Publications by GB Overprints Society

Provisional Overprints for the UK

Did you know that despite the advance publicity for UK decimalisation
in 1971 no registration envelopes were available for sale with the
correct postage rates imprinted on them? Did you know that when
compensation rates increased on registration envelopes there were
sometimes over 6 million items in stock needing amendment rather than
pulping? It is not easy to pick up from the fairly simple listings in
the major catalogue of British postal stationery (Huggins & Baker),
just how many overprints and corrections emanate from the Post Office.
Many of these arose because of errors in the instructions on the items,
or accidental retention of obsolete information. A major area, not
rectifying mistakes, was the Post Office’s need to bring into use large
stocks of postal stationery rendered obsolete by increases in postal
rates, or forces envelopes at the end of World War I: indeed in some
cases residual stocks of obsolete items are recorded to amount to
several million copies. Postal stationery is not cheap to make, and the
prospect of pulping such large stocks led to the obsolete items being
uprated by the overprinting of either a further stamp image or a device
showing the additional payment now due. Tracking this through the
various provisional issues highlights the occasions on which the post
office found that the rates had risen faster than they could make new
head-dies, or, on one occasion, rates were actually reduced after large
numbers had been printed and sold for the old rates, and customers
needed a rebate. These items have not been subject to detailed study
before this book.The opportunity was also taken to include coverage
of the postal stationery provisionals issued by the Post Offices of the
UK islands of Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey, which issue their own
stationery, and on which there seems little coverage in catalogues.
Their treatment of “rescuing” obsolete material reflects many of the
approaches of the UK Post Office (Royal Mail), but more frequently. 198
pages. ISBN 978-0-9931878-3-4. £35 plus postage and packing.

Postal Stationery overprinted for use elsewhere (other than airletters)

The Postal Stationery book covers all types of postal stationery
other than airletters. The scope of the definition as laid down by the
FIP comprises the main types known to most collectors, but also includes
(for example) postal orders, telegraph forms, reply coupons, and a
brief survey of the huge topic of overprinted stationery packet bands,
and overprinted amendments to UK postal material. Remarkable archive
material is included for the first time, including official plans for
overprinted registration envelopes for the Gulf, airletters for Eritrea
and others. The only previous source for overprinted British postal
stationery was the Higgins & Gage series; this is now extremely out
of date, having been first compiled over 50 years ago, and which
contains a number of omissions, and ghosts or misleading entries which
have now been clarified in this book. The book cannot claim, however, to
include all the details covered in specialist societies’ journals and
books, otherwise the GBOS book would be twice the current size. But the
detail is certainly sufficient for most collectors, with
cross-references to more specialist material where necessary. 504 pages.
ISBN 978-0-9931878-1-0. £60 plus postage and packing.

Airletters overprinted for use elsewhere

The Airletters book traces the development of British airletter
design from the first overprinted issues to the final issues in the
1960s, and, with the help of archive material, explains why the later
issues had the “wrong stamp” on them, continuing on special printings
with the Queen’s head when Britain had changed to the parliament design.
Several new types came to light during the research, extending the
previous findings of Terry Jones’s catalogue. In fact only 2 months
before the book was due to go to press a totally new airletter design
was found with the “Value-Only” overprint, right at the end of the
period; this is a major new find, and to date only 3 copies are known,
all used as part of the same business correspondence. Archive material
also includes essays, official correspondence and provision cards. 122
pages. ISBN 978-0-9931878-0-3. £36 plus postage and packing.